Today Culture Action Europe's project, "Pop the Vote! Culture on the Ballot" launches an open call to find 52 young Changemakers from 14 countries who want to deepen their artistic and activism practices by exploring innovative ways of community engagement using the language of the arts and culture for political change.
The 2019 European Parliamentary Elections marked a turning point with a remarkable surge in voter turnout – the highest in 25 years. However, to bridge the generational gap in political engagement, Pop the Vote! is gearing up for an electrifying initiative leading up to the 2024 elections. Led by Culture Action Europe and co-funded by the European Parliament, this project calls upon young artists and student artists, aged 18-30, to be Changemakers in their communities. In early 2024, selected Changemakers will mobilise citizens, especially underrepresented groups, using art and culture as tools to enhance political participation.
Engaging young artists
Digging deeper into the 2019 elections, an interesting trend emerged between older and younger voters: Younger voters tended to take their time in deciding whom to vote for. They were more deliberate and had a strong focus on crucial issues like climate change, human rights, and democracy. Pop the Vote! wants to build on this energy and bring more artists into the discussion: Who better than young Changemakers to fuel innovative and inclusive public discourse?
Putting culture on the ballot
52 young artists from 14 EU countries will embark on a week-long training program in Belgium in February 2024. This immersive experience will cover artivism, campaigning, and using artistic expression as a political language. By the end of the camp, Changemakers will design a blueprint for two engagement events in their home countries. These events, leveraging arts and artivism, aim to mobilise over 5,000 citizens leading up to the EP elections in June 2024.
Calling all Changemakers
Artists, student artists, and/or cultural workers aged 18-30 are invited to respond to the open call until 15 October 2023. In order to be eligible, Changemakers must reside in one of the participating countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, or Sweden. Pop the Vote! provides Changemakers with a fully-funded training in Belgium (including travel, accommodation and meals) and 1,197 EUR to support their artistic engagement in the project.
The deadline for Changmakers to apply is 15 October, 2023, 23.59 CEST -> more info
